Kiss Me Slowly
by xxpaperheartxx
Summary: She fell from the sky in a flash of light. Her accent is different, and she definitely doesn't act like the other girls. Link has to save Hyrule, but he soon finds himself saving her too. Will she save him as well in the end? OC T for language/mild themes
1. Day 1

**(A/N): xxpaperheartxx here with a brand new story! This is my best shot at a Legend of Zelda fanfic! This takes place during Ocarina of Time, and involves my OC whose name you'll just have to read to find out! I have always absolutely loved the Legend of Zelda, my favorites being Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Twilight princess. However, I never knew how to start a story for Link! Once I read Aberrant Bliss's "And She Waited" (which I suggest reading), I just knew I had to take the chance and write my own! Bliss has been wonderful and reviewed my first chapter for me. That's about all I have to say for now! Read, review, message if you want! Let me know what you think about this first story.**

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><p><em>My entire life, I have always believed in something else. I have always believed there was some kind of greater power governing everything, and everything we knew as humans was only half of the truth. There just had to be more out there than this small world we lived in. Constant wars, people killing other people with no regard for the fact that it was a life they just stole, and the filth we settled ourselves into. There just had to be more. This world was sick in more ways than one. The skies were no longer a pure blue color (not that I'd ever seen it as such in the first place). They were always polluted with either gray clouds, or clouds of dark smoke that billowed up from factories. <em>

_The people living in this world subconsciously sensed that it was no longer healthy, and because they couldn't identify the fears they felt deep in their hearts, turned on one another. Life became a sick game of seeing who could get to the top the fastest. It no longer consisted of enjoying a soft summer breeze, helping a neighbor who was struggling, or just helping the earth along. It was now all just a sick game to feel like we were getting closer to God. To rise higher than anyone else. It was all just a game that we were losing before it even started._

_That's why I've always believed there was something else out there. Something everyone had forgotten about. Magic. I just knew there was somewhere, a place where magic still existed, where people fought valiantly for the things they believed in, honor was a law that everyone followed, and pure hearts were only a few steps away. _

_Of course I never told anyone this. Can you imagine what you would think if your friend or daughter told you that they were secretly hunting for that kind of magical world? You wouldn't believe them. You might even have them committed. It wasn't just a desire or a fantasy to me. I KNEW some place like that existed. It just had to. It was just a matter of figuring out how to get there. I always kept my eyes open, always listened to the silence, just hoping that someday, I would see what everyone was missing, and find my way to that magical world. _

_When I finally did find it though, it was more than I had ever imagined._

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><p>It was supposed to be winter by then, but there I was, in a spaghetti strap dress and a pair of jeans. My toes poked out through my sandals, slightly chilled from the mild weather. Sara, my best friend, had her arm linked with mine and was constantly bumping her hips into me while we walked. We were both laughing and talking without a care in the world. It was the weekend and we had nothing better to do, so we had decided to walk the Golden Gate Bridge.<p>

Cars were zooming past us, honking their horns, riding the ass of the car in front of them and creating a strong wind that tossed our hair into the air. Sara had short hair, ending just under her chin, while I on the other hand had long hair. It was already at the small of my back. There really wasn't any point for it to be that long but I kept forgetting to get it cut.

We were almost to the middle of the bridge when a strong wind suddenly blew through. The two of us lost our footing for a moment, stumbling toward the railing for support. Sara squealed and I shouted out. Looking over the railing of the Golden Gate Bridge wasn't a fun thing to do.

Falling over it was even worse.

Someone (I never got a chance to see who) pressed their hand against my back and pushed. Hard. The last thing I truly remember seeing from my world was Sara's face. She looked completely horrified. Wind rushed around me. It stole my breath from me and roared too loudly in my ears. I couldn't even understand what was happening. I just got that horrible feeling of my stomach dropping and my fingers were tingling almost painfully. Somehow, I rolled over in the air to face the water below me.

It was approaching way too quickly. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shut my eyes. There was just something so transfixing about staring straight at imminent death.

'**You shall live, human child.**'

In my delirious state, I thought I heard voice coming from the water. There was a round patch of glowing light forming beneath me on the surface. It pulsed and grew even brighter. I finally shut my eyes, sucking up as much air as I could.

I screamed as loud as I could right before I hit the surface of the water. There was a blinding light, then darkness.

'_**He deserves to be happy this time**_.'

'_You will serve Hyrule just fine_.'

'**This is your destiny**.'

The voices reverberated around me in the perpetual darkness I still found myself in. Was I dead? Is this what it was like to die? '_I'm just going to float around in this darkness forever?'_ But instead of the cold dread I expected to fill me, I felt a strange warmth. It covered my entire body, and even seemed to be inside of me. There was the tinkle of beautiful, unearthly laughter as the warmth slowly faded from my body.

Then there was light again.

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><p>I didn't even have the chance to breathe before my breath was knocked out of me. My body smacked against something solid, prompting me to roll over onto my side and clutch my head. Air rushed into my lungs, and I greedily took in as much as I could. Tears of pain fell from my eyes. I stayed like this for at least ten minutes before my breathing was finally normal enough for me calm down. Something tickled my face as I rolled over.<p>

"What the hell happened?" I was still lying on the ground in the fetal position with my head cradled in my hands. My eyes were screwed shut against the darkness I thought I was surrounded by. I took in one more shuddering breath and froze. Grass. I smelled fresh…grass? Why did I smell fresh grass?

"Is this what hell smells like?" I wondered out loud. Slowly, and very carefully, I let go of my head and opened my eyes. Grass, a brighter green than I had ever seen before, danced in the soft breeze that carried its scent to me. The blades were thin, but seemed strong and healthy. I watched in slight amazement as the simple foliage swayed in the wind. Sara's horrified expression flashed through my mind. I gasped and shot up, letting out a small noise of hopelessness when I fully saw where I was. Instead of being a hundred feet underwater I was in the middle of a massive field.

"What..." The strange grass stretched out as far as I could see. Its various shades of deep, rich green changing to a softer green all rolled and danced in the wind, creating the illusion of being at sea. Small hills dotted the vast field, truly making it seem as though it was alive. I noticed the few thin trees that were scattered around, and a long stone wall in the distance that didn't seem to really belong to anything. The air was warm and rich with the scents of this earthy place. Thick, fluffy white clouds drifted lazily along in the pure, blue sky. I took a few minutes to marvel at the color of the sky as well. My eyes eventually drifted from the sky and focused on a distant ring of red. It seemed to be surrounding the peak of a mountain far off in the distance.

'_How strange._' I don't think I was fully grasping the situation yet. And the fact that I could see the silhouette of a castle as well didn't help.

I was forced back into my head when I heard the distinct sound of a sword being drawn. What? I loved sword fighting movies.

"Who are you?" Those were the first words he ever said to me.

I whipped around and scrambled to my feet. There, standing in front of another seemingly random stone wall was a man. He was, much to my chagrin, at least three inches taller than me. That made him about six feet tall. He was wearing some weird medieval green tunic with a belt around his waist. Underneath his tunic was a tight, white long sleeve shirt that I later came to realize was the Hylian version of a muscle shirt. He was also wearing really tight white pants and brown boots.

I couldn't help the small smirk when I saw the white pants and ridiculous hat. However, when I looked into his bright, clear blue eyes, I found myself transfixed. What was it I had said before? Something about 'there was just something so transfixing about staring straight at imminent death.' Yeah, that.

I felt fear once again when I noticed the giant sword he held onto. He held it protectively in front of himself, glaring at me over its lethal tip. "Who are you?" he repeated, his perfect tenor voice reaching me easily.

"I-.." the words died in my throat when he moved his sword. My eyes darted between him and the hunk of metal. "Bye!" I spun around, ready to book it toward the mountain thing. Before I really even moved an inch, his sword was at my neck, and my back was forced against his chest. I whimpered and leaned my head back against his shoulder in an attempt to keep the blade from touching my neck.

'_This is it! I somehow survived falling over a hundred feet into the water just to end up in some freaky random field and now I get my head chopped off!' _My breaths were coming out short and desperate while his remained calm and even.

"I don't want to have to hurt you." His voice was right in my ear.

'_Too close!_' I squirmed in his grip, but he only tightened his hold on my hands and pressed his sword closer to me. "I-I'm…" He finally seemed to understand that he was scaring the freaking hell out of me and pulled his sword away. I didn't dare to sigh in relief, squeaking when he spun me around to face him once more. He sighed again and sheathed his sword, letting go of my hands in the process.

"I'm-" I never gave him the chance to finish. He yelled out in surprise and pain when I smashed my head up into his.

No one expects the head-butt! [True story. I've used it before ; ) ]

It took a second for my head to stop spinning, but when it finally did I once again took off running. This time however, I ran in the opposite direction, rushing past his still dazed form. The sun had suddenly become very hot and it was no easy task to run across this stupid field. When I stumbled for the tenth time I could finally hear him running behind me. I wasn't about to turn around and see how close he was, so I just pushed myself go faster. My sandals had fallen off a long time ago, lost forever to this mysterious field. The trees of the forest were still so far away!

That's when the darkness took me once more.

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><p>Link had just gotten finished fighting his way through the Forest Temple. Saria was now awakened as a Sage, and he was off to the next Temple. But first, he needed a break. No less than three days ago he awoke in the Temple of Time to find out he was seven years older. Not only had he been frozen in time for seven years, but because of him and Zelda trying to do everything on their own, Ganon had won.<p>

"He went in right after me, Navi." Link sighed and leaned heavily against the brick wall. Why were all these random walls in the field anyway? "We destroyed Hyrule because we just had to do it ourselves."

"Link…." Navi didn't know what to say. It was true after all. She fluttered sadly over his head, going around in lazy slow circles. Link sighed again, making her feel even worse. She landed heavily on his head, laying on her stomach and throwing her tiny hands onto his forehead.

Link didn't know what to do. Just a few days ago he was ten! It was strange, being in this adult body. So many things were different.

"Hey! Look!" Navi flew off his head and began bouncing around.

"What?"

"There!"

Navi pointed a small finger up to the sky. Link's eyes widened when he saw the orb of light Navi was pointing to. It slowly grew bigger, then suddenly a girl appeared. She seemed to float in the air for a moment before falling to the ground. If Link hadn't been so shocked, he would have caught her. His eyes were still glued on the girl, even when she groaned in pain and curled into a ball. He took in her strange clothes, noticing that she wore pants. What kind of girl wore pants?

"Is this what Hell smells like?" He barely heard her muttered words, but only became more confused when he heard them.

'_Hell?_' he mouthed, Navi shrugging her shoulders and looking back to the girl. She was still sitting down, but she was looking around at everything. She seemed to be marveling at the sky for several minutes before turning her gaze to Death Mountain in the distance.

"What-" Link narrowed her eyes when he heard her strange accent. At least she seemed to speak Hylian, but why did she sound so weird? Was she Gerudo?

"Who are you?" Link immediately went on the defensive, pulling out his sword and bending his knees. '_She looks harmless enough, but I can't be careless.'_

The girl twirled around, her long, light brown hair fanning out around her. Link found himself momentarily lost in her eyes. They were green, but green like the forest. He felt a pang of homesickness but brushed it off. '_FOCUS.'_

She seemed to be taking his appearance in, her eyes stopping for a split second longer on his hat and pants. She smirked, but the smile quickly vanished from her face when Link glared and shifted his sword.

"Who are you?" he asked again, trying to sound scary. She actually looked frightened, and he instantly felt bad.

"I-" Link was about to put his sword away when she suddenly turned around and started to run. Before she even got an inch away from him, Link caught her. He grabbed her arms and pulled them behind her back. Link jerked her body toward him, angling his sword toward her neck. She felt cold against him and he noticed the goose bumps covering her skin. She whimpered, bringing him back to the situation at hand, and leaned her head back against his shoulder. It fit perfectly into the groove of his neck. Link was stunned for a moment, a rush of hormones he still wasn't used to yet flooding through him.

'NO!' he reprimanded himself. Link shook it off and pressed his sword closer to her. "I don't want to have to hurt you." He leaned forward so she could hear him clearly. However, she squeaked a little and began to squirm against him. Link tightened his grip on her.

"I-I'm…" Link felt bad once again when he heard the fear in her voice.

'_She didn't even get one step away when she tried to run,_' he reasoned. '_She can't be that dangerous._' Link sighed and let go of her. He spun her around, then sheathed his sword, all the while watching her for any sudden movements. "I'm-" He was about to tell her his name when a determined look suddenly crossed her face. Before he could take his sword back out, she rammed her head into his. Link stumbled back, sore and dazed.

"Dammit!" He cursed to himself when he saw her blurry form darting away from him. She had no clue where she was going, yet she headed toward the forest. Most people stayed away from the forest, for the fear that it was cursed. But here she was, running straight for it.

When Link could finally see straight again, he took off running after her. She kept stumbling, even losing the weird shoes she wore during her flight. Link decided he had had enough of chasing her and pulled out his boomerang. With perfect aim, thanks to Navi, he threw it right at her head. She made a small noise before falling heavily to the ground.

Link stood over her body panting heavily. He was exhausted. All he had wanted to do was rest a bit before heading into Kakariko to see if he could find anything out about the next Temple he was supposed to visit.

"You should talk to Saria," Navi suggested, sitting right on the girls forehead.

"Yeah." Link took out his ocarina and flawlessly played her song.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" Link felt his heart warm slightly at the familiar voice.

"Saria!"

"Link? Is something wrong? I felt a strange power just a few moments ago."

"That's why I called you." Link explained what had happened, and after a few moments of silence, Saria finally answered.

"Bring her back to the forest. I can't stay long, but I'll try to figure something out. You don't sense any evil from her do you?"

"No, none. She's actually pretty weak." Link was already leaning over to pick her up. She was pretty light too.

"Okay…Just bring her back to your old house. I'll meet you there." Saria left then, leaving Link to bring the strange girl home.

"My old home," He muttered. Navi fluttered around him for a while, darting forward to inspect things every once in a while. Eventually, she got tired and flew back to Link, hiding inside of his tunic for a nap.

"Where was your home?" he wondered out loud, looking down at the girl in his arms.


	2. Day 2

**(A/N): Yay! chapter two! I'm sorry aberrantbliss, i just really wanted to post this second chapter! I apologize to all my Whispers in the Dark readers for how long it's taking me to get stories out. I know where i want to go with the story, i'm just having a ton of trouble getting there. I might just have to rush things along, and jump right into the main plot. Unfortunately that will cut the amount of chapters really short. Let me know if you have any suggestions! I hope i can get the insperation to write the fillers, but if not, i'm just going to cut the story a little shorter. Anywho! Thank you to my reviewers so far!**

**deadaleta:** _Onward we shall go!_

**TheTextingNeko:** _I'm defenitly nervous about writing this story because I know how bad this could go. Legend of Zelda just isnt' something thats easy to incorrperate an OC into. Please don't hold back if i start to make it to Mary Sue-ish or just gross. Thank you!_

**LOLfinally**: _Thank you for the review!_

**bobafett10992:** _Nice to see your reading this story as well! Sorry for the slow updates on the EmikoxGaara story. Major writers block right now! Grrrr...hopefully it'll be gone soon. I really need to do more on this site than just randomly post stories... Anyway! Thank you for the review! Let me know if i start to make this one of those LinkxOc stories you fear to read!_

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><p>Link set the still unconscious girl down on his bed. She made a face in her sleep, then yawned softly and snuggled right up under his covers. Link smiled. "Hey!" He threw a finger to his lips and quickly shushed his fairy. "Sorry," Navi whispered this time, flying around the girls head in slow circles.<p>

"I'm going to warp to the Forest Temple. Saria should be there by now." Navi just nodded her tiny head. Link gave the strange girl one last glance before turning around. She was lying on her side, her legs curled slightly toward her chest, and her hand holding the blanket close to her face. Her breaths were slow and even, and her soft features seemed peaceful. Her long, auburn hair splayed out on the sheets behind her.

"Hurry back!" Navi whisper shouted after him. Link raised a hand in a silent farewell and slipped outside. The sound of his ocarina reached the fairy and girl as a soft lullaby.

The soft sound of someone playing a flute reached the darkness that surrounded me. I had been floating in this endless sea of darkness for who knows how long now. Three random dots of golden light kept appearing in the distance, but whenever I focused on them, they disappeared. It was an annoying game of cat and mouse I was forced to play. The sound of the flute like instrument snapped me out of my daze. I jolted awake, the darkness vanishing from my mind in a split second. I quickly closed my eyes against the bright light shining through the large window.

Large window?

I ripped my hand from my eyes and stared in shock at my surroundings. '_No way. There's no way I'm inside of a tree!_' Surely enough, I could tell the walls around me were made of bark. That, and the room was circular, everything was made of wood, and I could clearly see and smell the other trees. I finally realized I was on someone's bed when the blankets rustled at my movements.

"Oh. My. God!" Realization hit me like a brick. '_That guy from the field must have kidnapped me! He's probably some kind of crazy rapist!_' I frantically searched around the room for any sign of him. Luckily for me, all there was in the room was a small table, a sink with a mirror above it, and a couple random piles of hay.

It still hadn't occurred to me what exactly was going on.

"Hey! You're awake!" A small, high pitched voice broke me out of my frantic and delusional trance. I looked around for the source of the voice, nearly jumping out of my skin when an orb of blue light appeared in front of me. Past all of the glowing light and sparkles, I could faintly see the form of a small woman. Her skin was blue, and her medium length hair was also a shade of blue. As far as I could see, she wasn't wearing anything. Her wings were long and translucent, flitting anxiously and quickly to keep her floating in front of my face. She cocked her head to the side when I merely stared at her with an open mouth.

"What are you?" I finally asked, getting over the initial shock. I leaned forward and sat with my legs bent on either side of me. I tentatively raised my right hand, extending my finger to poke it.

"I'm a fairy." She said simply. Her tone implied that she thought I was stupid.

"A fairy." I mimicked. Of course.

"My name is Navi, and I was chosen by the Great Deku Tree to be Link's guardian." I sensed the sadness in her voice when she mentioned her tree man's name.

Navi glided forward, landing softly on my finger. I couldn't help the small smile of wonder that stretched across my face. Her tiny feet were cold to the touch. She took a few steps forward and I giggled. When I told her that she is pretty, Navi giggled back and jumped off my finger. She flew to the other side of the room, then back to me. She kept randomly flying around the room, returning to me to fly around my head every minute or so. Completely forgetting my fears, I got off the bed and began to inspect the small room. The papers stuck to the wall seemed to be records on how to do simple things. When I got bored of reading those, I made my way to the other side of the room. All the table had on it was an empty jug and a basket with a few apples.

I spun around the room once more until something caught my attention. I stop dead, my hands instantly rushing up to my ears. I took a few more shaky steps toward the mirror before stopping again and screaming. Navi squeaked and hid under the covers of the bed, her small form creating a little lump of shivering light.

There was the sound of rushing footsteps, and before I had the chance to hide, the man in green burst through the door. His hands were up, ready to fight whatever had made me scream. He looked around the room with a fierce look upon his face, but when he saw nothing he sighed and dropped his arms. His shoulders slumped and he hung his head for a moment.

"What happened?" He asked, lifting his head back up to stare at me with his bright blue eyes.

I fell off a bridge into some portal of light, heard voices, ended up in a field, and oh yeah, you kidnapped me. "What did you do to my ears!" Close enough.

I never said I know how to prioritize.

He flinched against the tone of my voice. He sighed again and took a few steps forward, cocking his head to try and see my ears better. I glared and covered up my ears, backing away from him. "I don't see anything wrong with them."

I gaped at him for a moment, then noticed his ears. They were pointy too! "You made them like yours! How'd, I mean why did you do that!" I uncovered my ears and unconsciously starting playing with the tip of them. Now that I think about it, I could hear a lot better now.

The young man gave me a confused look as I continued to play with my ears. "What?"

"Link!" Both of us turned to the source of the voice to see a small girl with green hair standing in the door way. "What happened?" She looked worried as she stepped into the room, her gaze darting between the two of us.

I was starting to get uneasy again with the two of them now standing so close to me. Navi zipped past me, flying into Link's hat. "She scared me." I heard her mutter. Link looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh, quickly brushing his hand over his mouth to keep it hidden.

"How do you feel?" The small girl had a pleasant smile on her face and clasped her hands in front of her when she spoke to me.

I did a quick inventory of my body, wincing when I realized how much my head hurt. I lightly touched it, once again ignoring the possible danger in the room. "Why does my head hurt so much?" I was looking down when I asked that, but when I heard the shuffle of feet my eyes darted back up. Link was kicking his foot against the ground and shifting back and forth. He looked completely ashamed.

"You!" I jumped back and pointed a finger accusingly at him. "What'd you hit me with?" I rubbed my head again for emphasis.

"bbmmrenn"

"What?"

"Boomerang." He coughed after he said it, blushing and looking away from the glare of his green haired friend.

1…2….3… "You hit me with a freaking Boomerang! Where do you even get one of those!" His friend hid her smile behind her hand while Link just gave me a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head. I remembered how I was running away from him when I suddenly blacked out. '_That must have been when he hit me with it. Damn….he has good aim._'

Link coughed again, breaking me out of my trance. I took another step back, breathing in sharply when the bed hit the back of my legs. "Well," I looked around the room again, "It's been really nice, but if you don't mind…." I walked forward, praying they would just let me walk past them.

"Wait!" Link's arm shot out and grabbed onto mine. I yelped and tried to jerk out of his grip. No luck. The boy was like superman!

"Link!" the girl also reached out, placing a calm hand on his arm. "There's no reason to scare her. Please," She turned to me and gave me a warm smile, "Stay so we can try to figure out what happened. It's not safe for you to go out on your own, especially when you don't know this world."

This world? The strange voices, the fall that should have killed me, ending up in that field, and the fairy. Let's not forget boys knocking girls out with boomerangs. It was all making sense now. The room started to spin around me, and I wobbled back a couple steps. Link darted forward to catch me but I avoided his grip. My hand was cold against my forehead but it didn't do much to make me feel better.

I was in another world.

It really was possible.

I had always imagined I would be so happy if I found another world. But here I was, standing right in the middle of one and about to pass out from shock. I barely registered the green haired girl leading me by the elbow back to the bed. She gently pushed me down, sitting down next to me, but still far enough away as to not scare me more.

"I need you to tell me what happened." She said softly. "I'm Saria by the way."

"I'm Link. Sorry I hit you with a boomerang." If I looked up I'm sure I would have seen a guilty grin on his face. Yup, there it was!

I looked over to Saria before looking down again. "I-I was walking across a bridge near my home with my friend. It got really windy all of a sudden, and we ended up having to hold onto the railing for support. Someone…." Somehow I found myself looking into Link's eyes as I finished my story. "Someone pushed me. The last thing I remember seeing is my friends face. There was a light in the water, and I think I heard some voices, but that's all."

The two were silent for a long while. Saria looked deep in thought, while Link just looked very sorry for me. "Someone tried to kill you?" He finally asked, moving to sit down at the small table. He completely dwarfed it.

"I guess." I shrugged. I could tell my nonchalant answer annoyed him a little, but he didn't say anything.

"That's very strange." Saria finally said. "Link," She looked up to her friend who returned her gaze with determined eyes, "You must awaken the other Sages quickly. I'm not sure….but this sounds like it could have been the work of the Goddesses." I never would have imagined they were religious. Huh. "I will speak to Rauru to see if he knows anything, however…" She got off the bed and walked over to the doorway. "Keep an eye on her for now. I'll be back shortly."

"I'm right here." I muttered, looking off to the side. I heard her leave and sighed lightly.

"Are you alright?" Link asked me again.

I frowned but quickly turned it into a grin when I looked his way. "Peachy!"

"Peachy?" He looked honestly confused.

"It's a saying? It means like, good, fine, okay."

"Oh, okay."

We enjoyed a few moments of awkward tension. Eventually, I got bored and decided to move on. "So where am I then, if I'm not in my world anymore?"

"This is the Kokiri Forest," he lazily gestured outside, "but where you uh…fell out of the sky was Hyrule field."

"Hyrule?" So that's the name of this whole place then. I looked down at my hands in my lap again. I was desperately trying to sort everything out.

"Where are you from?" he tried, shifting to get more comfortable at his small table.

"San-Francisco." We fell silent again for a few more minutes. Link was resting his head in his hands, his eyes slowly closing every once in a while before they shot open again. "I'm sorry…for head butting you."

Link's eyes shot open again and he sat up straight. "That's okay. I shouldn't have just attacked you like that." He was rubbing the sleep from his face as he spoke. I couldn't help but smile; he seemed like a little kid.

"So why do you have a sword?" Link dropped his hands and gave me a hard stare. I felt myself shrinking under the intensity of his gaze. Oops. Guess I shouldn't have asked about the sword.

"It's not safe here anymore," he began "An evil man has taken control and turned everything into a nightmare."

I couldn't look away from him. "Are you fighting against him?" The thought that I'd somehow landed in the middle of a medieval, magical war both frightened and intrigued me.

If only I'd known the true horror of war at the time.

"Yes, I am. I have to…it's my-" Before he could finish, Saria came back into the small house.

'_Was he about to say it's his fault? There's no way an entire war could be his fault_.' I watched as Link slowly stood up. He seemed absolutely exhausted. He had dark circles under his eyes, his clothes were a mess, and the hair that peaked out under his hat shot off in every direction. I felt myself slightly angered that his 'friend' Saria didn't even seem to notice that. Link just stood tall and sucked up whatever pain he was in.

"I spoke to Rauru about your situation…." They both looked to me, finally realizing that I hadn't given them my name yet.

"Oh!" I laughed and rubbed my arm. "I'm Autumn."

"That's an unusual name," Saria said, giving me her trademark soft smile. "I talked to Rauru about your situation, Autumn. He is not sure what the reason for you being brought here is either. However, we both are working on finding a way to get you safely home."

I just blinked at them. '_They're really going to do that for me, even though there supposedly a war going on? Shouldn't they be focusing on the evil king guy?_' "Wh-what?"

Link nodded and turned to me again. "I promise I'll help you get home. It's the least I can do for attacking you."

"You really don't-"

"Then it's decided!" Saria clapped her hands together and giggled. "You can stay at my house tonight Autumn. I'm sure Link would like his bed back tonight! He's got a lot to do tomorrow."

Link didn't display any displeasure at the idea of having to save Hyrule and me now. He just gave me a grin as Saria dragged me out of his house. "Link,"

"I promise I'll get you home okay?" He flashed another grin at me, then disappeared completely when Saria tugged me the rest of the way outside.

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><p>Link kept the grin on his face until Saria pulled Autumn completely out of his house. He heard the girl clumsily descend the latter, letting out a small huff when she missed the last wrung and fell down. Link closed his eyes and fell back on his bed. Navi shot out of his hat and went over to his window, knocking out the stick that held it open. She then went over to his door and loosened the curtains so no light could get to the young hero.<p>

"You should rest now," she said, fluttering back to him.

"She looked so scared the whole time, even when she probably thought she was hiding it." Navi said nothing as her companion talked. "I have to help her get home, wherever that is."

"San Francisco." Navi chirped, landing on his stomach. She sat down cross-legged and waited for him to continue.

"I don't really think that's in our world." Link laughed, throwing an arm over his eyes.

"If you're going to help her, you should do it quickly. We still need to find and awaken the other sages."

Link didn't say anything. For a while the two sat in silence. "Sheik said something about the mountains. So maybe the next Sage is a Goron?"

"We should go back to the Temple of Time and see if he's still guarding the pedestal."

"You're right." Link breathed deeply, sleep tugging at his conscious. He had a feeling he wouldn't get much sleep tonight either. No matter where he was, whether it was a dungeon or in his own house, he always felt like he was unsafe. Link always slept with his sword by his side, and he never sleep deeply for more than a few hours. If he was lucky to even sleep that much.

The last thing he thought of before falling asleep was the girl with eyes as green as the forest.

* * *

><p>Saria had long ago given up on staying awake. Her small frame was settled comfortably on the bed where I had moved her after waking up myself. She told me she was something called a Sage, but she still seemed like a child to me. She had been giggly and wanted to talk and play with my hair all night. Finally, around midnight, she passed out in a chair against the wall. She had insisted that I take the bed, and I accidentally fell asleep for a little on it. However, now I was awake, and she was tucked comfortable under the covers. I made sure not to miss the last wrung on the ladder this time when I left the tree house.<p>

Saria had given me a quick tour of the forest when we were heading to her house. None of the other little kids came up to us, even though she waved to all of them. I guess they're not used to that many…adults being in their home. It still amazes me how so many kids can just live on their own in a forest.

Little lighting bugs lit up the forest as I walked toward the giant hollowed out tree. Apparently this was the exit. The forest was truly beautiful, but I was afraid to waste any time admiring it. I was scared that Saria might wake up and find out I'd left. Then she would go get Link and there was no way I wanted a man with a sword running after me.

'_He has enough to take care of_.' I walked a little slower through the log and over the bridge in case the echoes of my footsteps carried back to their village. _'She said he's the only one who can stop the evil King guy. I don't know what he's supposed to do, but he doesn't need to be burdened with me as well_.'

I still didn't know what to think about everything. I knew I should be missing my family, and that being so far away from everything I'd grown up with should upset me a lot more. But it didn't. I didn't feel anything when I thought about that. The only thing I was thinking about was the warm breeze against my face, the way the moon illuminated the field, and the millions of stars dotting the sky. The sun was just beginning to come up across the horizon, sending a wave of pinks, blues, and pale yellows toward the darkness of the night. This world was so beautiful.

You know, for being ruled by a magical evil King and all.

I saw a large brown horse sprinting across the field toward the area I had just come from. I watched in wonder as it ran. It was going pretty fast. I never saw anything like that at home. People freaked out if they even saw a squirrel. I had only been walking (not very fast either) for about an hour when the first horse passed. Then, about fifteen minutes later, I heard the rumble of horses running once again. However, this time it sounded like there were multiple horses.

I was running as fast as I could away from the group of men riding full speed after me. There was no way I was going to be able to outrun them. I didn't even know where I was going! I let a scream slip from my lips when the first of them passed by me. His horse made a noise of protest when its rider pulled harshly against the reigns to stop it. The other horsemen quickly rushed past me as well, stopping their horses in the same harsh manner. I threw my arms up to protect my head and gave up on running.

I could tell my feet were bleeding slightly from my barefooted flight to get away from them. Six men sneered down at me from their mounts. Their faces were covered by cloaks and cloths tied around their mouths.

"What's a little girl like you doing out here so early?"

"Yeah, shouldn't you be tending to your man or the animals?"

I gulped and just stood there, staring up at them in fear. Each of them had a sword, or at least a knife. One of them even had a bow. I opened my mouth to spit back some retort, but it was lost when one of them drew their sword.

"Perhaps you belong to more than one man."

'_Did he really just…call me a whore?_' This man was going to die today.

"Give us your money, wench."

"Give me a reason to not cut your throat and watch you choke on your blood." I held up the small knife Saria had been kind enough to lend me.

"We got ourselves a feisty one boss!" The man with the bow jumped down from his horse and began advancing toward me. "Come here, I promise I don't bite…much."

"That's pretty cliché," I accidently let that slip out. Accidentally. Even if he didn't know what it meant, it seemed he understood that it was an insult. I thought he deserved a cookie, but instead, he got a hit to the back of the head.

"Boomerang!" I cheered, laughing when I saw it ricochet off his head and head back toward Link. He sat upon the horse I had seen sprinting across the field earlier, his hand held up to catch the little weapon. As soon as it was in his hands, he urged his horse forward by kicking her sides and shouting out 'hya!'. The horse gave a mighty leap and jumped over the body of the unconscious man. It landed heavily next to me, dust flying up into the air from the impact. Most of the men made their horses back away a few feet.

I just couldn't seem to wipe the stupid grin off my face. "Link!" He ignored me and unsheathed his sword, glaring absolute daggers at the men before him. His horse seemed to know what to do and moved even closer to me, pressing its warm body against me. I stumbled slightly, but put my hand on it anyway.

"Who are you?" Their 'boss' asked.

All the attention was on Link now. "Leave now and I won't have to kill any of you."

'_You wouldn't kill them anyway you big softy_.' I wisely kept my comment to myself as I settled back into place by his horse's side.

"Tch," the bosses' gaze fell on me before flitting back to Link. "Whatever, we don't need your whore's petty money anyway." He turned his horse around, his men following suit, and rode back in the direction they came from.

"Coward." I spat, lowering the dagger I had once again raised to him.

Link watched the backs of the retreating men until they were out of sight completely before jumping off his horse. The sun was almost fully raised now, most of the darkness already receded into the distance. I was fumbling with my dagger, pouting when I hit the edge of the small sheath twice. Finally, I got the dagger in its sheath, and when I looked up again I found an angry Link looking at me in disbelief.

"What were you thinking?" He finally asked. He advanced toward me until he was close enough to make me take a step back.

"First, breathing room." I took another step back, holding up my hand. "Second, thank you for saving me. And third," Link's intense stare was beginning to falter, "I figured I would find a way home myself. It sounds like you have a lot to do and I don't wanna get in your way."

Link sighed and rubbed his hand across his eyes. "Saria came running into my house when she noticed you were gone. I called Epona and came to find you as fast as I could." He noticed me poking the unconscious mans' head with my toes. "It's a good thing I did."

"I could have taken them." I mindlessly muttered, bending down to poke his face with my finger instead. Man he was out cold. "I have to get me a boomerang." I continued, still crouching down.

* * *

><p>"You-" Link gave up on what he wanted to say. He wanted to stand there and lecture her on the dangers of this world, but it seemed like a waste of time to him. She was obviously….oblivious to the dangers around her. '<em>How am I supposed to leave her somewhere to fend for herself?<em>' he wondered, watching as she poked the man's face again. '_I can't leave her with anyone either. She'd most likely just wonder away and get herself killed!_' Saria's warning flashed through Links' mind.

"_I'm not sure why she's here, but it's obviously the work of the Goddesses. I can only imagine what would happen if Ganondorf found out about her."_

She hadn't needed to say anything else. Link rode out instantly to try and find her before anything happened. '_She doesn't seem to have a clue what evil is._' Autumn finally got back up, dusting off the weird pants she wore before turning to grin at him.

"So which way do I go to get to the nearest town?" Her long auburn hair was a mess around her, her clothes were now stained with dirt, and Link could see small splotches of red on her feet. Despite the ragged condition she was in, and the fact that she had no doubt not eaten or had anything to drink since he found her, she was smiling at him.

Link sighed in defeat. Why were all the women he knew so difficult? "C'mon, I'll take you to Kakariko village." When she looked like she was going to object, he said "I'm heading there anyway. It's bound to be safer than letting you wonder around the field on your own." He whispered the last part under his breath.

"I…Are you sure?" Autumn looked at him with big green eyes. "I really don't want to slow you down…"

"I'm positive." Link laughed, holding his hand out to her. She seemed to debate it for a few moments, but in the end she shrugged her shoulders and walked toward him. "You won't slow me down that much anyway." She blinked, then laughed and took his hand.

"If you say so, Hero." Link smirked and helped her up onto his horse. He waited until she was settled before swinging himself up as well. He sat behind her and reached around her small form to grab the reigns. "I've never ridden a horse before," She murmured, grabbing tightly onto the front of the saddle.

"I'll go slow," Link said. He pushed Epona into a gentle trot, smiling when Autumn gasped and lurched backward into his chest.

"Sorry!" she squeaked, quickly righting herself and putting as much distance between them as possible. Link watched in amusement as she shifted uncomfortably ever few minutes. "You…you can go faster…if you want to." She was trying to sound brave, but Link couldn't help but laugh when he heard the undertone of fear in her voice.

"If you say so! Hya!" He jerked the reigns and Epona immediately burst into a full on sprint. Autumn screamed and flew back into his chest again. Link leaned forward slightly, closing his arms more tightly around her to keep her steady. After a few minutes, Autumn's screams turned into laugher.

Darkness fell all too soon, forcing the two to rest for the night. However, as they sat around a small fire and talked about pleasant memories from their pasts, Link found himself doing something he hadn't done in a long time. He was laughing with a friend.


	3. Day 3

**Yay! The next chapter! Stories are probably gunna keep coming out slowly until after the 30th. After that date it's officially summer vacation for me! I have so many ideas for all of my stories, and i'm even planning out a Death Note story right now too! L of course is the love intrest! I'll even work on transfering some old stories from another site onto here as well. Summer should hopefully have alot of updates and a few new stories! Thanks again to Aberrant Bliss, my wonderful reviewer! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**xxpaperheartxx**

* * *

><p>"Why is it so much darker here?" I stared up at the now black sky in wonder. Just an hour ago, we had been riding through the beautiful field with the sun high in the sky. Now, as I stood before the gates to the castle I had seen in the distance before, the sky was blotted out by dark clouds. Link finished settling Epona and stood next to me.<p>

"Gannon is somewhere in the castle. This area is full of his evil magic now," Link spoke calmly and softly. I gulped and looked back at the gates before me. They towered above the two of us, seeming to stretch right into the sky. The drawbridge was long ago broken down, resting in pieces in the slightly deep river. No sounds seemed to surround this part of the castle. The birds had stopped singing, and not even the bugs or river made any noise. It was eerily silent.

If I wasn't scared before at the prospect of traveling through the forsaken Castle Town, I was now. It all seemed like some sort of story, just a dream that I wasn't really experiencing. '_Link's been fighting this nightmare for years now,_' I remembered. I clenched my fists and nodded to him, signaling that I was ready to go in.

"You should stay out here," he began, making my jaw drop, "if anything starts to come out of the castle, or if you start to feel unsafe, get on Epona and ride away. Go back to the Forest."

"I'm coming with you!" I argued.

Link shook his head and unsheathed his sword. "Not in here you're not. It's dangerous for you to even be this close to the castle." It looked like he wanted to say more, but he firmly shut his mouth and started toward the abandoned town.

My mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. '_He really thinks he's just going to leave me here?_' Link jumped from the second half of the broken drawbridge to the stone walkway and soon vanished into the darkness. "He's funny." I said, patting Epona on the neck. She snorted, making me back away a few steps. I've never really been fond of big animals.

"Well!" I inched toward her again, smiling nervously when she looked over at me. I rummaged through a small bag Link didn't know I was using, and pulled out the bow and arrows I managed to steal off the man from yesterday. You know, the one Link boomeranged? "This should work!" Luckily for me, Link had gotten the attention of my attackers and given me enough time to filch the poor man's weapon and some money. Also lucky for me, I took archery back home. It was offered through the school, so I thought 'hell, why not?'

I nocked an arrow and carefully made my way across the bridge. I was much less graceful than Link, making it across with one leg completely soaked. Great, now my jeans were wet too. Goosebumps popped up all over my bear arms as soon as I stepped through the archway.

This place was the definition of a ghost town. There were only two buildings on either side of me. Both looked completely run down, fitting in perfectly with the filthy floor and disgusting smell that permeated the air. I quickly made my way through this part of the town, wanting to catch up to Link as soon as possible.

"Holy sh-" I stopped dead in my tracks. The truth and reality of having an evil king as the ruler fully hit me in that moment. The town looked exactly like the ones I had seen in apocalyptic movies, or movies where the town had just been slaughtered the night before. Everything was either overturned or broken down. Houses were boarded up, belongings were scattered around, dark stains covered everything, and the unmistakable aura of death clung to the air. It felt like the temperature dropped twenty degrees, and I could suddenly see my breath. The echoes of everyone who had been tortured and killed here haunted me.

Tears started to build up in my eyes as I stood there like an idiot and started out into the market. It was impossible to imagine that life and happiness ever existed here. _'This is what he woke up to?_' My attention was finally forced back to the world of the….living, when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye.

That was when I noticed them. The re-dead. At least five of them were in the market. A couple were hugging their knees to their chests on the ground, moaning softly and rocking back and forth. Unfortunately for me, I was standing close to one of the two that were wandering in slow circles around the once lively market place. As soon as I looked at it, its face shot up and locked onto me.

They were corpses. There's no other way to explain them. Their skin was taught against their bodies, and their faces were just hollowed out masks. Ice flooded through my veins when it let out the most terrifying screech I've ever heard. Its steps quickened as it began moving toward me.

'_Run!_' I screamed in my mind. I tried desperately to move away, to do anything, but my body was frozen in place. The ice in my veins turned to complete and total fear. The bow and arrow became a useless, forgotten tool in my hands. '_Move dammit!_' Still, I remained frozen in my spot. The monster screamed one last time and extended its arms. It was only a few feet away from me now. Only a few more seconds and it would have me. I would be dead!

"Don't look at it!" The sound of his voice sent a warmth through me that finally melted the ice in my veins. I wrenched my head in the other direction, closing my eyes and flinching when I heard the sound of steel tearing through skin. I kept my eyes closed until I felt his hand on my shoulder. I jumped violently and would have run away if he didn't grab onto my other shoulder as well.

"Why did you follow me! I told you it's dangerous!" Link's tone implied that he was angry, but relief was written all over his face.

"Link, I-"

"It doesn't matter now, just follow me. Don't look at any of them. Keep your eyes on the ground," he said, leading me by the hand. I did exactly as he said and kept my eyes on the ground as he quickly dragged me behind him. I was out of breath by the time we finally stopped running. Leaning over, I put my hands on my knees and panted.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I….what were those?" My head was spinning, and I'd never been more tempted to throw up in my entire life. The face of that creature kept flashing through my mind.

"Re-deads. Gannon created them." When I looked up I saw a flash of contempt cross through his eyes. The next second it was gone, replaced with the courage I was beginning to recognize he always displayed.

"Are they…"

Link understood what I couldn't ask and shook his head. "No." After waiting a few more moments for me to catch my breath, he spoke again "C'mon, we should get going. I need to speak to someone."

I only nodded; not trusting what would happen if I opened my mouth again. We walked inside of the giant cathedral, Link leading just a few paces ahead of me. I had to stop and blink several times to be able to see. The bright white of the walls was an odd contrast to the gloomy atmosphere just outside the doors. I had the strangest feeling that music was playing, yet I couldn't hear anything. The silence was absolutely deafening. But no matter how hard I listened, the choir like music that seemed to reach my heart remained hidden. Link continued to walk ahead, only stopping when he was in the center of a raised platform in the middle of the room. He turned around to look at me, which prompted me to hurry and follow after him. I barely noticed the triangles on the platform as I hurried over it.

"Whoa," I muttered, inspecting the three stones just randomly floating at some sort of alter. There were characters scribbled underneath them, but thanks to the fact that they were written in Hylian, I couldn't understand them. "What does this say?" I asked. Link stopped and backtracked own the stairs. He looked over my shoulder and sighed.

"Ye who owns 3 spiritual stones, stand with the ocarina of time and play the song of time." His voice was monotonous as he read it to me.

"Are these the stones you had to find as a kid?"

His eyes flickered over to me, "Yes." Sensing this was still an off limits conversation, I let him walk away without pressing it any further. I'm such an idiot sometimes.

* * *

><p>We walked silently into the only other room in this place. Link tensed up when someone appeared in front of the pedestal in the center of the room. I stopped looking around like a stupid tourist and actually paid attention. No need for him to save me twice in one day!<p>

I loosely got an arrow ready. We continued to walk forward until we were within normal speaking distance of the stranger. '_Is it a boy?_' I looked the figure over very closely, even squinting my eyes to try and see it-him-she….whatever, better. The person was wearing a full, tight blue body suit. Their finger tips and forearms were wrapped up in bandages, the white cloth (we'll just go with 'he' for now) he wore around his torso and as a hat covered most of his face. Blonde bangs covered one of his red eyes, and very little tanned skin was left revealed. The strangest part to me however, was the weird eye design on the front of his shirt thing.

"Sheik," Link greeted stiffly.

"Link," Sheik nodded back. His eyes then darted to me, narrowing menacingly. "Who is she?" Sheiks hand twitched toward a small weapons pouch hidden on his waist.

Link moved in front of me, his hand now on the hilt of his sword. "That's none of your concern."

"It is my concern, Hero of Time. You have a duty to do. You don't have time to help little girls lost in our world."

Excuse me?

"How did you know she's not from this world?" Link drew his sword now, forcing me to back away a step unless I wanted to lose my nose.

He knows now idiot. I shuffled a little ways away from Link so I could see this Sheik person better.

"I sensed a disturbing surge of power a few days ago. By the time I got to the area it came from, you had already taken her to the refuge of the forest." Sheiks odd sounding voice was filled with venom. "The power was not evil, however…I cannot allow someone to interfere with your quest."

The next thing I knew, Link was deflecting several sharp needles that had been aimed at my head. "What's wrong with you!" Link yelled. "She hasn't done anything wrong! Would you really kill an innocent person?"

He was going to kill me? This was personal now. I would not go down without a fight, especially since I just got here. I silently lifted my bow and pulled the arrow back. Sheik was busy arguing with Link, at least I thought so. When I released the arrow, he easily avoided it. I wasn't trying to kill him, just scare him a bit. Make him think I was tough or something.

"Autumn!" Link gasped, moving to block more needles from impaling my face. "Stay out of this!"

Like hell I would. "He's trying to kill me!" I yelled back, nocking another arrow into place.

"You will only get in the way, human." Link and I both froze.

"How did you know?" I was the first to ask. Of course I had already explained what humans were to Link the night before, but how did this person know?

"I know more than you'd think," Sheik scoffed. The androgynous blonde glared at me, eyes moving between Link and I. "You might not mean to harm this world, but I can't take the risk. This world is suffering enough without an outside force interfering." Sheik's eyes flashed with anger. "Especially a human. Humans are a dangerous race, Link. I think it might be best to seal her in the sacred realm until you have finished your quest."

'_Seal me? What the hell is this?_' I took an invoulentary step backwards. '_This is like some kind of cartoon! Magic doesn't really exist here does it?'_

"She won't hurt anyone," Link promised, sheathing his sword. I stared at him like he was stupid. "And I can still save Hyrule and get her back home." The conviction in his voice was impressive.

"Link…" I barely knew this guy, but yet, here he was defending my honor and promising to save me.

"I won't get in his way," I finally spoke up. Link held an arm out to stop me when I started walking forward. I hesitated, and then walked around his arm, ignoring his disapproving growl. "I understand that he has to save this world, by himself." I added, putting as much disapproval on the last part as I could.

Sheik seemed to think things over forever before he finally lowered his hands. He turned to Link and took out a small harp. '_Where'd that come from_?'

"Link, you may return to seven years ago in the past by placing the master sword back in the pedestal. There may be some things that must first be accomplished in the past before you can move forward in the future." Sheik lightly placed his fingers on the harps threads. "There may also be a time when you must return here quickly, I will teach you the Prelude of Light so that you may do that."

I watched dumbstruck as the two forgot the fact that they were just at each other's throats and played a duet. Link had his eyes closed and seemed to relax as he played. When he was done, he held his little ocarina away from his face and smirked.

"With this song, you can warp here anytime you need to." Sheik turned a harsh red glare to me, "We shall meet again." Link rushed forward to pull me behind him when Sheik suddenly threw something on the ground. Both of us were blinded by a bright light, and when we could see again, Sheik was gone.

"Well that was fun!" I smiled, sticking the arrow I still had ready back into its small quiver.

"Where did you get those?" Link asked, sticking his Ocarina back into his magical pouch. How much stuff was he keeping in there? He was like freaking Marry Poppins!

"From the guy you boomeranged. I stole his wallet too!" I bounced the wallet up and down in my hands, grinning at Link all the while. Link sighed and put his face in his hand. "What? You get to have a whole bunch of weapons, I wanted one too!"

"I won't accidentally kill myself with mine though." He muttered it as he walked away from me, but I still heard him.

"Say that to my face!" I challenged, jumping down the steps after him.

"No." Link walked a little faster, jumping over the three steps leading past the alter.

"Coward!" I mocked, walking down the steps he jumped over. Show off.

"Clumsy." He stated, turning around to grin at me. He made a show of looking at my still soaking wet leg.

Wh-What? "Get back here!" I yelled, running after him. Link laughed and ran faster, easily evading me when I tried to jump him. He grabbed my wrist and ran with me through the town again, leading me away from the walking corpses.

* * *

><p>An hour and many bruises on my thighs later, we were standing in front of a giant stair case. It led right up into the mountains.<p>

"How can you ride a horse like that?" I moaned, wobbling stiffly after Link. He looked at me with poorly hidden amusement in his blue eyes. "Stairs!" I almost cried when I fully took in the giant stair case before me. Navi was off flying around a nearby tree, and Epona was happily drinking from the river.

"Kakariko is just up these stairs." Link smiled. "Let's go!" He turned around and began walking easily up the giant stair case.

"We meet again, my old nemesis," I muttered, kicking the first step with a sore and slighly bloody bare foot. I was really beginning to miss my shoes. My jeans were tattered around my feet, and several tares decorated my thighs. The light pink dress I'd worn over my jeans was smudged with dirt and badly in need of a few stitches. I'd long ago given up on having my stupidly long hair down. I tied it up in a bun with the one hair tie I had in this crazy world. Link wasn't waiting for me anymore; he just rolled his eyes and kept walking toward the village.

"Bye horse." I said, giving Epona a mournful look before turning to follow Link up the devil's staircase.

"Wow…." I was in awe when I saw the town. It was lively, full of people milling about. A chicken even ran across our path, which much to Link's amusement absolutely amazed me. He had to grab onto my arm as to not lose me when I started to chase after the small white bird. "I wasn't going to hurt it." I huffed, crossing my arms and sulking behind him.

"It might belong to someone." He said simply. "If I remember right, there's a woman here who raises them."

"Do you think there'd be babies?" I absolutely loved chicks. Ever since I went to a farm for a field trip in third grade and got to hold one, I'd adored them. They were just so cute and fluffy!

"That's what you want to know?" Link sighed and I barely noticed his shoulders sag.

"So you have to find the next sage right?" I questioned as I followed behind him. Link was expertly leading me through the town. Seems like seven years hadn't affected his memory that much. "Where do you think they are?"

Link and I were side by side now, occasionally bumping into each other in order to dodge around the villagers. Some of them gave him weird looks, and I wondered if anybody remembered him from when he was a kid. I felt so bad for him. All of this still didn't seem that real to me. Sure the re-dead thing was scary, and that Shiek person definitely knew that I wasn't from this world, but still…I didn't know what it was, but this just didn't seem real. How could it be? I never expected finding another world to happen so easily as literally falling into it. For all I knew this could be some really detailed dream.

"I think it might be a Goron." He stated, leading me carefully around a man begging on his knees.

"A what?"

"They live in the mountain."

"Are they human?"

"They're not Hylian." He corrected. I blushed and stuck my tongue out at him. Link chuckled, but kept guiding me toward where ever it was we were going. Only when we were standing in front of a house did he let go of my arm. I glanced at him but remained where I was when he knocked on the door. Looking to my right, I saw a single guard standing by a fence that seemed to be built right into the mountain. He stared dispassionately out over the village, constantly shifting his weight from one foot to another. Peering around him I saw that the path led higher up into the giant mountain looming in the distance.

'_He said the Goron people live in the mountain. I wonder if that's where Link is planning on going to find the next Sage person._' I still wasn't one hundred percent on all this sage business either. Link didn't really seem too keen on talking about all of the time travel, temple stuff. So I let it drop. He'd talk about it when he wanted to I guess.

Plus, I wasn't even sure how much longer I would be here. I could end up leaving just as easily as I got here. I might as well enjoy my time here, and with Link while I could. _'Not like that though!_'

"Autumn…" Link was giving me a confused look. I stopped smacking my head and looked at him.

"What?"

"N-nothing."

The door finally opened, distracting the two of us from the awkward silence hanging in the air. "Can I help you?"

A simple man stood in the door way. He was about the same height as Link, had brown hair, and plain features. The delicious aroma of something cooking carried out of his house, and a small dog darted between his legs. It ran once around Link before taking off down the stairs. I giggled at Links confused expression, but quickly hid my smile when he turned to stare at me.

"Who is it?" A women came up behind the man gently placed her hand on his arm. She was almost a foot smaller than him, making her just a couple inches shorter than me. Her black hair was tied in a secure knot, and her flawless face held a kind smile.

"We were just wondering if you would know of a place where we could rest for the night?" Link stepped forward and smiled widely. "We've been travelling for the last two days."

"Oh!" The women gasped and stepped aside, the man clearing the doorway as well. "Please, come inside!"

We both smiled gratefully and stepped into the small home. I don't think I will ever get over how quaint the houses here are.

The women walked back over to a giant black kettle and began to stir its contents. "This is the house of the great Impa." The man said, offering both Link and I a seat with a wave of his hand. When we were all seated, he resumed talking. "Many travelers come here looking for a place to stay. That is, they used to before…." Link nodded solemnly, signaling to the man that he didn't need to say anymore.

'_Even the towns people fear and hate this Ganondorf guy._' I felt uneasy as I watched Link's expression get darker and darker as the man continued to explain how they no longer get any travelers or visitors.

"There's nothing we can do about it however." He finished, setting his hand on the table. "So you two need a place to stay for the night?"

I was about to answer, but Link quickly cut me off. "She does. I have somewhere I have to be as soon as possible. I'm not sure exactly how long it will take me to do what I need to do." Link looked uncertainly over at me. His eyes were more than apprehensive, making me want to shout at him for being so stupid.

'_Just ask for help idiot!'_ I thought. I clenched my hands under the table to resist saying anything. '_You don't have to fight all on your own! I'm sure you know some magic people that will help you!_' However, I knew from watching how Saria ignored his fatigue that he really did have to do it on his own.

"Don't you worry about a thing." The women said, coming up to set her hand on the man's shoulder. "My husband and I are more than happy to let your friend stay here with us until your done doing what you have to do." She smiled sweetly at me, her eyes crinkling in the corners and reminding me of a mother.

Link didn't say anything, but just smiled gratefully at the couple. I was still stuck between being happy I had a place to stay, and being mad that I didn't seem to have a say in anything. "Yes, she can stay here for as long as necessary. Like I said, we really don't get any outsiders here anymore. It's not an inconvenience at all for her to stay here."

"Thank you." Link stood up and shook the man's hand. "Money isn't an option. I can pay you as much as you'd like."

"Don't spend your money so easily lad!" The man's laughter easily filled the small house. I flinched back at the sheer volume of it and had to try very hard not to cover my ears. "She can stay here free of charge! My wife could use some help around the house now anyway!"

"Oh dear…"His wife flushed and covered one cheek with her hand and her stomach with the other.

I instantly smiled, confusing Link, and said "I'd be more than happy to help."

"That was easy." Link muttered. I glared at him then turned back toward the couple.

* * *

><p>For the next hour, Link and I talked to the couple. I mostly just sat there like a good women and didn't say anything. '<em>Note my sarcasm.'<em> Link and Baron, as I learned was the husband's name, talked about the strange goings on with the Gorons. The conversation was incredibly boring to me, and I found myself day dreaming pretty early on. Baron's booming laugh jerked me out of my trance. My elbow slipped off the table and I sprang up into a sitting position. His wife shot me an apologetic smile before standing up and beckoning for me to follow after her. I hobbled after her, shaking the sleep out of my legs the best I could. When we were both outside she turned and looked me up and down before speaking.

"You're not from around here are you?" I froze at her question. She just smiled sweetly again and shrugged her shoulders. "Your clothes are very different. Women from around here don't usual dress so revealing."

I blushed and crossed my arms, trying to cover as much skin as I could.

"Come, we'll go shopping. It seems like you'll be here for a while anyway. We might as well get you come clothes to help you fit in a little better." Before I could protest Sheya was dragging me through the small town.

Normally, I'm the type of girl that you have to black mail into going shopping. Even Sara could never get me to go willingly with her. But with Sheya's energetic and sweet attitude, it was hard to stay upset. She kept dragging me from stall to stall, holding different things up to me to see how they would look. She never let me try anything on though. I hardly even got to see what she decided to keep. I offered her the money I stole-er…borrowed but she completely refused it. She paid for everything herself. When she was done picking out clothes for me, she moved on to a small accessories stand, and though I politely refused for her to buy anything else, ended up walking away with another bag. The one part I was actually excited about was when we stopped by a friend of hers' house. The friend was a large, jolly woman whose name I can't remember. She took one look at me, tsked disapprovingly and rushed me over to a small room in the back of her house.

For the next two hours, she washed, cut, and fussed over my hair. When she finally deemed me presentable Sheya and I left and headed back toward the house. I felt a lot lighter now that my hair was clean and easily almost two feet shorter.

"Ah! Your back!" Baron clasped me affectionately on the shoulder before turning to kiss his wife on the cheek. "That man you were with left a while ago. He said he had something important he had to get to and took off! He told me to tell you he'd be back as soon as he could."

Baron helped his wife with the bags and chatted merrily with her. I however, had to sit down in order to keep from falling over. '_Link left?_' I couldn't believe it. '_He just left without saying goodbye? How am I supposed to know if he's going to be okay!_' Wait, what? '_Link will be fine._' Why did I care so much anyway? I barely knew the guy. Sure, he was sort of my friend now, but really….What kind of friend would just drop somebody off with strangers then leave? '_Link can do whatever he wants. It's his fight and his world anyway._'

I sighed at my reflection in the small mirror. Baron and Sheya had given me the loft to use while I stayed here. They were now quietly chatting over some strange drink I'd never heard of before. I think it is the Hylain version of coffee, but I was too scared to try it. '_Coffee is dark brown, not amber_.' I thought, scrunching up my face. I fingered my hair that now reached a few inches past my shoulders and eyed the clothes one last time. They fit perfectly, and Sheya had been kind enough to pick out a couple pairs of pants for me. She only picked out one dress, but I was going to stuff that in the back of the closet for as long as possible. Apparently you don't wear pants with dresses here.

I was just about to ask if I could go outside for a while when low rumbling noise sounded in the distance. It quickly got louder, and soon the whole house was shaking.

"Stay where you are!" Baron's loud warning kept me from dashing down the ladder to join them. I fell to one knee and pressed my hand to the ground to keep from falling down. The house continued to shake for several minutes before the rumbling quieted down, and disappeared altogether.

"Are you alright?" Baron and Sheya hardly looked shaken up at all. She was quietly cleaning up some of the soup that had spilled out of the cauldron. Baron put a hand on my shoulder and looked me over with worried eyes. "It's nothing to worry about. We get a lot of those now. Ever since that weird ring of fire appeared over Death Mountain."

"Hopefully her friend is okay." Sheya whispered.

Baron knelt down to help his wife clean, but I was no longer paying attention to them. '_Death mountain?' _I was sure of it. That's where Link had gone.

"Hey!" Before Baron could grab me I already had my bow attached to my back and was racing up the path into the mountains.


	4. Day 3 and 4

**Finally the next chapter! I can't thank everyone enough for all the favorites and comments. I can't make any promises about how soon chapters will come up. I'm not very good at keeping my word with my stories any way… Once again, a big thank you to **_**Aberrant Bliss **_**for reviewing this chapter as well! I don't know what I would do without their help on my grammer and supporting this story!**

_**Crumpet:**_** I really appreciate you review. You took a lot of time to tell me exactly how you feel about the story, and I honestly really appreciate that! Please, don't hesitate to let me know if my OC starts to seem to typical. I'm trying to make sure I stick to her faults, and don't make her to amazing ;)**

_**Yyh-ygo-fma**_**: Nice to see you're reading this story as well! I love the ears too!**

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><p>In my hurried flight after Link, I had failed to notice the setting sun. The tall walls of the mountainous area felt like they were closing in around me. Shadows leapt out from every angle, taking on the shape of many false enemies.<p>

"I can't believe that bastard just left without saying anything to me!" My shrill shout echoed off the stone walls. It wasn't like he really had any reason to, he did just find me in the field the other day…but still! _'He could at least let me know when he's leaving!' _

Another sharp turn took me further into the seemingly endless mountains. Link had a good five hour head start, but for some reason, I'd expected to run into him by now. I wasn't used to being in this world alone. From the very moment I'd woken up Link had been there trying to help me. '_Even though I've only been here for about four days_.' The sun was hanging dangerously low in the sky, leaving a blanket of orange and purple fire in its past. Thankfully the boots Sheya had bought for me didn't have a heel to them. The padded, flat surface made walking quietly very easy.

So why did my footsteps still echo so much?

A few rocks rolled down the slight incline I was ascending when I suddenly stopped. Silence overtook the vast mountain range for several tense moments. The wood of my bow was warm and damp from being in my hand for too long. Light glanced off the arrow head when my hand twitched upward.

_CRUNCH!_

Before I even realized what I was doing I spun around and loosed an arrow. An odd feeling passed through my fingers, but I ignored it and braced myself for the attack if I missed. However, the sound of flesh being pierced still rang clear, making me cringe. When I'd shot the arrow, I'd instinctively shut my eyes and ducked my head. I only tightened my posture more when a loud and heavy thumping sounded directly in front of me. I waited a full ten seconds before slowly opening one eye to see what had landed in front of me.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

A blue spider, easily the size of a big dog was impaled with my arrow and stuck to the ground not even two inches in front of me. A vicious smelling green blood oozed and bubbled from the wound on its back. One hairy yellow leg stretched out and tapped my foot, its pincers clicking together in desperate hunger.

A scream unlike any I'd heard before tore from my throat just as I threw myself backwards and practically crab walked away from the disgusting spider-like creature. Its bulging red eye seemed to follow my movements, but thanks to the arrow the beast itself couldn't chase me.

"Nope nope nope nope nope!" All thoughts of catching up to Link to help him vanished from my mind. I was now primarily concerned with getting as far away from the spider as possible.

The sun had set nearly an hour ago, I had only eaten twice in the past four days, and surprisingly the mountains got VERY cold at night here. I was tired, hungry, and my feet were very sore. The cuts from running around barefoot were still fresh, and thanks to all the extra running, now constantly throbbing.

"It's a good thing I'm so used to being outside at night," I muttered, leaning against mountain wall. My legs gave out, and I fell to the ground in a tired heap. I couldn't even care enough to sit more comfortably. "But still…." A nervous glance around proved that none of the massive spider things were lurking about in the darkness.

For now.

'_I wonder where he is now. There's no way he could be that far ahead of me already. Link had to have stopped to sleep somewhere…_'

Dark clouds covered the night sky. They blocked out the stars that covered this sky at night. Back home, you were lucky if you could even see the big dipper but here….there were so many stars in the sky it almost seemed impossible. They weren't all white either. Purple, pink, and even yellow mixed in with the silvery white I was used to in order to create a collage of colors.

'_Everything about this world is so perfect,_' I thought. The bright, full moon provided just enough light for me to see my hands in my lap. '_The air is so clean here, the skies are always amazing, and I've never seen plants as healthy as the ones here. Hyrule….that's where everyone keeps saying this place is. Magic, princesses, sages, and evil Kings. It's all real to them_."

The fabric of my gloves crinkled when my hands clenched into fists. My eyes strayed mournfully over the tragically familiar sky.

'_With all these clouds, the sky looks a lot like the one back home._' Home. I didn't have any clue if I was ever going to go back, and I knew deep down that it was completely possible I never would. Yet, I still couldn't be upset about it. Despite the evil king or whatever, this world really didn't seem so bad. Maybe I didn't have to go home. Visions of the deserted Castle Town flashed through my mind. The scream of the re-dead made me shiver and I desperately tried to force the images from my mind.

"Maybe Link will understand and not try to find a way home for me."

Complete and utter exhaustion finally caught up with me. It was impossible for me to fight off the darkness that quickly took over my vision. In my delirious state I thought I saw the rock next to me move.

* * *

><p>Link stood before the entrance to the fire temple. His mind was still reeling with the fact that all of the Gorons had been taken and were waiting to be eaten by a dragon. The loud laugh of Darunia seemed to echo around Link. He clenched his hands and looked away from the statue in front of him. The last time he'd saved the Gorons was because of Ganondorf. Now, it was all because of him.<p>

"This….this all happened because of me." Navi sighed sadly and landed on her friend's shoulder. She placed a cool hand on Link's cheek, her best effort at letting him know she was there for him.

He flinched, then turned and gave her a small smile. "Let's go."

He couldn't bear to be in this room any longer. The once lively Goron village was now deserted and silent. The only one left to watch over this place was nothing more than a child. Even though he was named after himself, Link couldn't help but feel he must do something to ensure the young Goron didn't share the same fate. _'There's no reason for him to endure the burden of losing his home as well.'_

"Link," Navi flew from his shoulder to hover in front of his face. "why did you tell little Link that? He might get hurt, or captured too!"

Link dropped his head and sighed. He looked back up at his fairy with an annoyed expression. "We've only known her for four days, and already I've saved her three times. Once was because she wandered off on her own, and the other two times were because she didn't listen to me." He deadpanned the whole time he spoke to Navi.

"Should you count the re-deads twice? Technically you only saved her from them once-"Navi squealed when Link caught her between his hands. He shoved her under his hat while grumbling and began stalking toward the fire temple.

"I still had to make sure they didn't eat her on the way back out of Castle Town." He rubbed his arm where a re-dead had once bitten him. "Those things have sharp teeth."

"Maybe you should rest longer, you seem a bit grumpy." Navi pulled his hair and Link yelped. He tore off his hat and shook the little fairy loose from his hair.

He glared at her while running his hands through his long golden hair to fix it. "I already slept for longer than I wanted to. We need to get going so we can…" He straightened his hat and looked away. He was thankful the darkness of the tunnel hid his pink cheeks.

"So we can….you weren't going to say 'get back to her' were you?" Navi let out a girlish giggle and darted ahead of the young hero in order to avoid his hands.

"Get back here!"

"You've been so much more talkative since we found her!"

Navi squealed again and just missed being caught by Link. He stumbled, jumping on one foot to try and catch his balance before falling flat on his face. "Sometimes I wonder if you're really on my side." He grumbled into the dirt.

Navi laughed and held onto her stomach. '_It's been so long since he's acted this carefree.' _

Link slowly got up and dusted off his new red tunic. He slouched after Navi and into the light of the fire temple.

'_Could it be because of that girl?' _

All teasing was pushed aside when the full heat of the fire temple hit them. Thanks to the Goron Tunic Link had given him, the heat of the volcano no longer posed a threat.

'_I couldn't even breathe when I came here as a kid.'_ He marveled, looking his new tunic over. '_It's a good thing I got this. Last time I barely made it out of here alive_.' Nervous fingers touched the ends of his bangs._ 'At least my hair grew back a little while I was asleep for seven years._'

"Hey!" Navi's shrill shout snapped Link out of his daze.

"Yeah, yeah." He sighed, trudging forward.

Link looked around the new temple and felt his stomach drop. There was no way he would come out alive! There was lava everywhere, and if there wasn't lava, then something was on fire! He wanted so badly to turn around and leave, but he knew he couldn't. The entire Goron tribe was trapped somewhere in the volcano. He could only hope none of them had been eaten yet.

Link shuddered despite the intense heat.

"Navi, stay close to me for a little." The small fairy nodded quietly and ducked into Link's tunic.

The hero looked around again and finally noticed the bridge. "Great…" Link walked over to the edge of the steaming cliff and took out his hook shot. He wouldn't use Navi to help him aim this time. Though she could just fly next to him, he wasn't sure if the heat would eventually affect her. His arm jerked back from the force of the weapon firing. A loud thumping sounded out, competing momentarily with the roar of the volcano. He pressed another button with his thumb and was instantly pulled forward.

When he was sure the bridge wouldn't move anymore, Link began walking forward. He only managed to take a few steps before none other than Sheik dropped down on the other end. Link didn't say anything. Instead, he unsheathed his sword and glared and the blonde youth.

"It is something that grows over time…a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time."

Link's eyes widened while Shiek talked. Who was he talking about? Did he mean his friendship with the Goron tribe? Or…

* * *

><p>"<em>So what exactly are you?" <em>

_Link looked over at Autumn and quirked a brow. "Hylian?" _

"_Huh." She was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest, and her chin resting on her knees. "I guess we're different after all. We look the same, but I'm called a human."_

"_Hew…man? What's that?" _

_Link blinked in surprise when autumn burst into laughter. It was such a beautiful laugh, and he soon found himself enjoying the sound of it. Laughter really wasn't something he was used to hearing, or causing for that matter. _

"_You said it completely wrong," She teased, sitting with her legs crossed instead and facing Link now. _

"_What's the difference?" Link asked. _

"_Between Hylian and Human?" Link nodded and Autumn sighed. "Well, I can't say much for Hylians since I've only met you and those thugs, but by the looks of it you all have the….well…" Despite the fire being the only source of light, Link was surprised to see a soft blush on her cheeks. _

_He noticed her hands unconsciously go to her ears and laughed. "The ears?" She blushed even more and turned away from him. "I remember, you asked me what I did to your ears." Despite himself, Link reached over flicked the top of her right ear. "I still don't get why you're upset. They look fine to me. Do humans not have ears?" He was careful to pronounce it correctly this time, but was thrown off again when Autumn's shoulders shook with poorly restrained laughter. _

"_Of course we have ears!" She turned back to face him with a huge grin. "They're just round." _

"_Round?" Link couldn't imagine such a silly thing. He touched the tips of his ears and shrugged. "Seems weird." _

"_Ears that could poke someone's eyes out are weird." She shrugged back at him and grinned. _

"_They wouldn't!" Link defended. _

"_I don't know, they're really pointy…"_

"_They're normal. Round ears are weird." _

"_Process of evolution. I'm sure humans had freaky pointy ears at some point, but then we realized that round ears just looked better and BAM!" Link flinched back at her sudden outburst. "We got round ears."_

"_Evolution?" Autumn dropped to the ground and groaned in disbelief. _

"_It's amazing we can even understand each other. You don't know many words that I do." _

_Link stared down at the distraught girl. She was now lying on her back next to him. He noticed that just as when on Epona, she was trying to keep as much distance between them as possible. He found it strange, but couldn't blame her. She was a stranger in this world. Autumn probably didn't feel safe yet. _

"_The sky is really beautiful," She whispered. _

"_Hm?" Link looked away from her and up to the night sky. "It always looks like this." He shrugged. _

_After a few moments of silence Autumn started snickering. Her gentle laughs turned into full on laughter that had her sitting up and clutching her stomach. "I can't believe we argued about ears!" _

_Link was beyond trying to figure this girl out. Instead, he felt a smile split across his face. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, he couldn't control the laughter that bubbled forth. _

'_I haven't laughed with someone like that for such a long time. Autumn, she-she's the first person that's felt like a friend in a while._'

* * *

><p>"I will now teach you the Bolero of Fire." Sheik pulled out his harp and looked expectantly at Link.<p>

Link deftly pulled out his ocarina and put it to his lips. He waited for Sheik to play the first line, and then allowed the magic to flow through him and teach him the rest of the song. When the music stopped, Link looked into Sheik's red eyes.

"You should take this." Shiek threw a small bag at Link, who caught it without taking his gaze off the other blonde. "I still don't like the situation, but Rauru has contacted me. She will be permitted to stay with you for now, so long as she doesn't hinder your mission."

Link scoffed as he tied the bag to his belt. "Autumn will not get in my way. I know what has happened to this world is my fault, and I intend to fix it."

Link was too busy securing the bag to notice the mournful look that passed over Sheik's features. "You shouldn't be forced to endure this burden on your own." Sheik's whisper was lost in the roar of the volcano.

"Thank you." Link nodded to Shiek.

"Don't thank me. She's only eaten a few times since she's been here. You should give her that when she gets here."

"What!" Link stepped toward Shiek and attempted to grab onto him. "She's coming here? Why didn't you stop her! She'll die if she comes in this place!"

"Link…I'll see you again." Shiek danced backward before vanishing in a flash of light.

"You don't really think she'll come here….do you?" Navi poked her head out of his tunic and looked up worriedly at Link.

His face was hidden by his bangs. "I even told Goron Link to detain her when he found her."

"You knew she would follow us-"

"LINK!"

Link choked and quickly whipped around. "Dammit."

There, on the other side of the bridge near the entrance, was none other than Autumn. She was jumping up and down while waving at him with a stupid grin plastered on her face.

"LINK! Hey!" Something looked different about her, but Link couldn't quite place it from the distance they were separated by.

"Stay where you are!" He shouted at her. Autumn stopped jumping and backed slightly away from the ledge. "Now she listens." He grumbled, pulling out his hook shot. Link allowed Navi to help him aim this time, and was just about to press the release button when horror flooded through him.

Instead of paying attention to her surroundings like she should have in a monster infested temple, Autumn was completely oblivious to the Fire Keese coming up behind her.

"Look out!" Link's warning came too late.

Right when Autumn turned around it rammed its body into her shoulder and bit down, hard.

"AAhhh!" Autumn cried out and ripped the bat off her shoulder. It flew off, its fire extinguished, but otherwise unharmed.

"AUTUMN!" Link watched in frozen horror as the fire on her shoulder forced her to stumble forward in pain. "STOP!"

Once again, Link's warning came a second too late. Autumn's foot hit the edge of the cliff, causing it to give way. Link saw the look of shock pass over her face as her body became weightless and went over the edge toward the lava.


	5. Day 4

**(A/N): Not too much to say this time! Thanks to aberrantbliss for reviewing and editing my story. Aberrant gave me some great ideas on how to make this story work better. Enjoy, and let me know how I'm doing!**

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><p>"<em>AUTUMN!" Link watched in frozen horror as the fire on her shoulder forced her to stumble forward in pain. "STOP!" <em>

_Once again, Link's warning came a second too late. Autumn's foot hit the edge of the cliff, causing it to give way. Link saw the look of shock pass over her face as her body became weightless and went over the edge toward the lava._

Link didn't even remember pressing the release button. He couldn't remember when he started moving, or when he left the surface of the bridge. Time blurred together into one quick moment until he felt their bodies collide. He let go of his hook shot to wrap one arm tightly around her waist, and to hold her head to his chest with the other.

Pain flared through his back when they landed. Thankfully he'd managed to flip them around so that he took the brunt of the fall. The rocky floor was painfully warm due to its exposure to the lava's heat for so long. Though the Goron tunic provided it's promised magic protection against the heat, Link still felt his shoulder bruise against the solid surface. They slid backward several feet before finally settling into a pile of dust.

Instead of releasing her, Link held on tighter to Autumn's tiny, shaking body.

* * *

><p>This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to get hurt so early in the journey! Yet, here I was with my shoulder burnt and bleeding, and the heat of the lava scorching my face as I fell toward it. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe I would die so easily. I just got here!<p>

'_I don't want to leave yet. I…I want to stay in this world. I want….Link, please help!_'

His golden hair was orange with the glow from the lava. His tanned skin was flawless, and his eyes shone with a fierce determination I'd never seen in anyone. When he was still feet away from me he forsook the strange weapon he'd used to launch himself across the gap. Link wrapped one arm securely around my waist, and used his other arm to hold my head to his chest. Time seemed to freeze for just a moment when my body was pressed against his.

The smell of the forest still clung to him, despite the drastic change in setting. I could almost hear the trees rustling in the wind, dancing to the softly chanted music of the Kokiri. I shut my eyes and cringed when we landed. Somehow, Link took all of the damage. When we finally stopped sliding backward, and I thought he would push me away, he held me tighter. I was shaking so much, but the way he held me seemed to hold me together. Several seconds went by before I fully realized how we were. I was laying on top of Link, and because of the way he was holding me I was completely pressed against him. Heat rushed to my face and I quickly began to squirm out of Link's grasp.

'_He should let go now!'_ I shot away from a confused Link, kneeling several feet away from him. "No one's ever held me like that in my life!" I held a hand to my chest and took a deep breath.

Link cocked his head to one side after sitting indian style before me. "I'm sorry?"

"I said that out loud?" I cried out in embarrassment and scooted even further away from Link.

The poor boy looked even more confused now. I was too busy shaking my head back and forth furiously to notice him stand up and walk over to me. I squeaked and jump about a foot in the air when his hand clamped down around my arm. I tried to yank mine away from him, but his grip was like steel.

"Be still," He ordered.

"Don't tell me what to-OW!" I accidentally kicked out at Link, my foot connecting solidly with his calf. Link winced, but he didn't loosen his grip one bit. His greedy fingers continued to peel away the fabric from around my wound.

"That Goron kid told me that although this tunic will make it so I can breathe here, it won't protect me from fire damage. Whatever that means."

Link sighed and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "That's wonderful. He was supposed to lock you in a room if he saw you, not give you a way to follow after me."

If Link wasn't still poking around at my wound I would have smacked him. "What? You told that rock baby to lock me up? The hell is wrong with you! I ran up a freaking mountain to find you! I even fought off giant mother fucking spiders and let me tell you, those things don't like to die! I came all this way to help you out and that's the thanks I get! You were going to have me freaking locked up! Great!"

I crossed my arms the best I could and looked away from Link. I was breathing hard after that rant, and my cheeks were slightly flushed. However, "Rock baby?" Link didn't seem to know when to stop.

"Yes. He's a fucking rock baby. He is a kid, a rock, and his name was Link. Which is adorable by the way, nice going." I stopped my anger long enough to wink at Link. Link had a look of complete and utter disbelief on his face. "Link did tell me that the fabric of this tunic is enchanted, or something like that. Apparently it will fix itself after a while."

Link stared on in disbelief for a few more moments before a soft smile stretched across his face. Without saying anything he stood up and offered me his hand. I stared at his hand in shock.

'_No one has ever held me like that before…Everyone's always stayed as far away from me as possible. Sara….she was the only one who didn't care. She was the only one who wasn't afraid to touch me. But Link….he just saved my life…and now he's offering me his hand.'_

He sighed impatiently and pushed his hand closer to me. "We have to get moving. I need to get you back to the Goron's village so I can finish my job here."

"Well you're just full of jokes aren't you?" I stood up on my own and ignored Link by dusting my clothes off. "So, which way do we go from here?"

"You are not coming with me." He looked serious. He was standing with his arms crossed and his face set in an obvious 'you have no say in this' look.

"Hey, where's your fairy?" I wandered over to the edge of the cliff and kneeled down. _'Damn, that's a far drop.'_

"Over here!" Navi's small voice rang out from my left. I gasped when I saw the fairy trying desperately to keep the weird claw thing from falling into the lava. Link beat me to it and gently caught Navi in his hands. I took the strange weapon from her while Link apologized over and over again to her. It was actually pretty cute.

"You should just let her come," Navi suggested. "You knew she would follow us here. That's why you told Goron Link to watch out for her right?"

I didn't have to say anything. The look on Link's face was enough for me. I settled for crossing my arms and grinning devilishly at him.

"She-she can't! You know how dangerous these temples are!" Navi was now floating on her own. She flew over to me and hovered above my shoulder.

"You heard the fairy! Let's get going!"

Link grabbed my arm and spun me around. My burn stretched painful, but I refused to let him know it hurt. It would only convince him I couldn't be here. The heat of the volcano was stifling, and the roar of the lava was getting old quick. I didn't care though. I'd faced situations just as scary back home. I could do this. I had to. Someone had to help Link. He'd been nothing but kind to me since I came here, and he really wasn't half bad of a guy.

'_I was never any good at home. I have to be some use here.' _

"Do you have a death wish?" He wasn't exactly yelling, but it was obvious this was the most Link had ever raised his voice at someone he wasn't trying to kill. He looked completely out of place, holding my arm and glaring at me.

"Sorry, even if I did find a Genie they aren't allowed to grant death wishes. It's a rule."

Link shook his head and growled. "Stop saying things that don't make sense. Look, places like these are far too dangerous. This isn't some game." He gestured toward my still bleeding shoulder for proof. "You can't come. I might not be able to protect you if something happens."

"Well who asked you to? We don't even know each other. I'm here because I want to be. You can't tell me what I can and can't do."

Links grip slackened. I was too stunned by what I'd said to move my arm out of his grip. Link closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he finally looked at me again his eyes were cold, guarded. "Fine."

Without giving me any warning, He tossed me over his shoulder, pulled out his hook shot, and brought us to the bridge. He had to grab the back of my tunic and yank me away from the edge of the bridge when it swayed underneath us. He quickly let go and stomped around me. His back was still tense, and his fists were clenched so hard he'd be bleeding if he didn't have gloves on. I followed after him, but much slower. I was taking one step at a time, and waiting between each step for the bridge to stop swaying. I glanced back up from me feet to see that Link was leaving me behind. Damn, I really pissed him off.

"This looks really familiar," I muttered, standing in the middle of a grey platform. Where had I seen something like this before?

"They're in all the Temples," Link stated, "Or the ones I've been to so far. They allow me to transport back to any temple rather than traveling back myself."

"Well look who's talking again," I muttered at the grey platform. I was about to step off of it when a strange feeling surrounded me. My feet became heavy, and I started to feel so tired. Link's form became fuzzy, and I tried desperately to reach out for him. Link didn't notice me struggling, and soon I was surrounded by darkness.

It was the strangest feeling though. I could tell was still standing on the grey platform in the middle of that volcano. The heat was still stifling, and I could even feel the tiny breeze that blew my new bangs out of my face every so often.

"Link!" My hand flew up to my throat when my voice came out like the little girl's from that Poltergeist movie.

'_Wait, why am I calling for him anyway? I can do this, no big deal._' My confidence diminished when my feet wouldn't listen to me.

"Move you useless things!"

A sudden heated wind picked up. It almost felt like it was wrapping around me, caressing my arms and face and leading me to look into the distance. So I did. There, in the distance of this black realm, were the three dots of light that frequented my dreams here. They always stayed in the distance, never coming any closer. It felt like hours that I watched the three flames dance in the distance. Red, blue, and green, the colors never changed. Nothing about this dream ever did, until today.

The red flame seemed to pulsate. It grew bigger each time, either that, or it was moving closer.

'_Now would be a good time to work feet_!' But of course, they ignored me. It seemed I was going to have to fight then. Luckily my arrows were still at my back, and I hastily knocked one into place.

Just when I was about to fire, the strange feeling that went through my hand the other day started up again. It began as a soft tingling, like my arm had fallen asleep. It spread from my arm to the rest of my body, making my dizzy with the overwhelming sensation. It was hard to keep my concentration on the flame before me when my entire body felt numb and I was sure I'd fall down any second.

"Damn." The flame was now right in front of me. Without leaving me any time to try and ward it off, the flame snapped out and me and engulfed my body. The heat of the volcano suddenly vanished; instead a cool wind was swirling around me.

"**Do not be afraid."**

I wanted to be frightened by the fact that the fire was speaking to me, but something wouldn't allow me to be. Several minutes seemed to pass in which the cool air soothed every part of my body. It was so relaxing that despite my better judgment I closed my eyes and allowed the strange fire to continue whatever it was doing without a fight. As soon as I closed my eyes I was assaulted by a variety of colors. Every kind of yellow, orange, and red danced before me, weaving and blending together in an endless array of fire.

The cool feeling over took the strange numbness, and I began to feel the cold inside my body as well. In the midst of the blinding colors, a human shape formed. The other colors distorted the image, but I was sure the golden form of a woman stood before me.

"**Autumn, such a beautiful name. Your name carries with it the strength of certain change. No power in the world can stop the change that always follows the autumn wind."**

The golden form reached out toward me. She held her fingertips against my forehead and said, "**I will grant you power. May the fires of autumn aid in your quest."**

Much sooner than it all transpired, it ended. The strange vision and odd feelings disappeared and left no traces of having ever been there. The heat of Death Mountain was once again stifling, and Link's figure was still walking away from me.

"What just happened?" I touched my hand to my forehead, half expecting to feel something different. "That voice sounded like one of the ones I heard when I fell of the bridge."

"Autumn?" Navi's small voice made me jump. I hadn't noticed her fly away from Link and backward to me.

"I-I'm fine," I lied. '_If I tell them what just happened, they'll think I'm crazy. Or even worse, Link will make me go back to Baron and Sheya's for now._'

* * *

><p>So I kept it a secret. Link and I worked our way through the Fire Temple in silence. I'm not sure how long we traveled for, or if the amount of ground we even managed to cover was good. Neither one of us spoke until we stopped to rest. Link was obviously still angry with me for coming along, but I was too preoccupied with my thoughts on the strange vision to worry about him being mad at me.<p>

"We should rest now." That was all he said to let me know we were done for a while. We even sat in silence while we rested. He had his sword out, and was polishing it with a scrap of cloth he kept tucked away somewhere in his tunic. Navi was sleeping on the ground not too far away from him. I found it odd that such a fragile looking creature was unaffected by the heat of the volcano. But there were still a lot of things about this world I didn't know.

"It's crazy," I said, "just the other day I was a less than average kid that nobody even knew existed. Now, I'm the only human as far as I know, and I'm running around in the middle of a volcano called Death Mountain."

Link didn't say anything, but I could tell I had his attention. "I'm sorry for arguing with you. But now that I might actually be worth something, I refuse to do nothing."

"Autumn…"

"You're speaking! Oh my God! Here I thought you forgot how!"

"Why do you keep saying that?" Link finally looked me in the eye again. Instead of the cold glare he'd been wearing, he was looking at me with a lost expression.

"Saying what?" I turned so I was now facing Link.

"God."

"Doesn't this world have one?" When Link struggled to form an answer, I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped my lips.

"Link," Navi whined his name while fluttering over to sit on his knee. He moved his sword so there was enough room for her. "She means the goddesses."

"Oh!" Link scratched the back of his head. He ducked his head and folded his hands in his lap. "The Great Deku Tree told me about them when I was still…a kid. He said that there are the three goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore, that created this world."

'_Three goddesses that created this world_.' For some reason, an uneasy feeling started in the pit of my stomach.

"Din is red for power, Nayru is green for courage, and Farore is blue for wisdom."

As soon as those words left Navi's lips the uneasy feeling intensified.

'_There's no way…It's impossible….Could one of the goddesses really have visited me? Then, if that's true, what did it mean when she said she'd grant me power?'_

"Do….do your goddesses ever speak to you?" I knew the question sounded weird, at least to me it did. Link didn't seem disturbed at all.

Instead, Link reached over with a small grin on his face and flicked the tip of my ear. "That's what the ears are for. The goddesses made them this way so we could hear messages from them. The Great Deku Tree taught me that much."

Navi patted a proud Link on the shoulder while I just stared horror struck at him.

Not only did the people that lived in this world have proof that their goddesses exist, but I actually met one of them.

There was still way too much about this world I didn't understand.


End file.
